I started walking with a few friends twice a week just to ease back into some sort of exercise regime. It’s fun and so nice as you chat that before you know it, you’ve already done the ‘circuit’ which is basically taking in some of the fields and woods near our homes. Continue reading →

A morning of appointments and running errands in the cold – not a problem in my wool and cashmere outfit. Layering is the key with each layer not too thick. Vince wool collarless coat also here and here, The Cashmere Company lilac jumper also here, J Crew Café wool trousers also here, Old England cashmere scarf, Céline bronze bowling bag and Toggi Chelsea boots. Continue reading →

I know, green sludge maybe – in fact it’s homemade spinach soup. It was only 2 years ago that I started making my own soup. I always thought it was quite complicated but a very dear Belgian friend showed me it’s one of the easiest things in the world. I only have 2 soups in my repetoire so far, leek and potato and spinach. Next, I badly want to make cauliflower and carrot and coriander. The best thing about soup is that you don’t really need to measure anything, just count or in my case use whatever’s left in the cupboards: a couple of big potatoes, one onion, a couple of organic vegetable stock cubes and enough water. If I’m adding leeks then a couple will do or if spinach, half a packet is enough. I don’t pulverise it completely, preferring to leave it with bits like above. So far my 2 youngest have refused to look at even a spoonful. Continue reading →

So, it’s going well – I’ve been good and swimming at least 3 times a week. At first it was pretty frustrating when the pool was crowded but once I worked out the least busy times from their timetable and adjusted my schedule, it became a lot easier and quicker. No swimsuit shots but you can see a difference in my outfit posts 🙂 I was very surprised at how soon I felt the benefits with more energy, clearer skin and overall tone. Well the challenge now is to add some gentle weight training – hello, baked bean tins – and something for flexibility. Continue reading →

This is a category I haven’t used in a long while! I thought of the title ‘Anti Anti Ageing’ but fundamentally, it’s about health which includes a level of fitness, everything else will come from that and is a bonus. We all age, it’s natural and it’s a bit silly to me to think we can fight it. You don’t fight against nature, that much I know! But I do like to think that we have some control about how we age.

I’ve been very fortunate with my health for most of my life except when I was very small during which time I caught everything going according to my mother. I’m not talking about just the common cold and yearly flu outbreaks but include chicken pox, scarlet fever and measles. Fast forward to post 3 kids in quick succession by 40 and like a lot of women, I struggled to achieve any kind of fitness. Fortunately I’ve never smoked and alcohol consumption barely registers on a yearly scale. What I want are:

tone

flexibility

reduce bloating (hopefully addressed with 4. below)

improve general diet eg less sugar, more vegetables etc.

The activities of dancing and copious amounts of walking (when living in central London) were no longer applicable in a small town and family life. Running, jogging, gyms were always out of the question (too much muscle bulk for my frame) and I didn’t fancy swimming until this year. I’ve swum almost everyday for the last 2.5 weeks and even at a very basic level, the difference has been noticeable around my middle which is the area that needs most help 🙂 I also ate more carefully – easier than at home since I have less healthy choices away. So a little regular exercise really does go a long way if it’s the right one for your body and life. I can continue swimming at home without having to buy any exercise gear! I have to tell you that Vix of Vintage Vixen is my inspiration for swimming 🙂 and eating more veg as she’s vegetarian. Thank you Vix – you’re the best! 🙂 Continue reading →